Small portable illumination devices have been a part of the field since the turn of the last century. The problem with these devices is that most must be held by the operator's hand, thus occupying one hand and leaving the other hand to perform a task. This can be awkward for the person using the device. Situations exist where the user doesn't have the luxury of dedicating one hand for illuminating, leaving one hand to perform a task. This embodiment frees the hand to be unhindered and available to complete the work at a higher level of efficiency.
This device has multiple uses for professionals as well as non-professionals. Professionals that would benefit from this device may include, but are not limited to: first responders, such as police, paramedics, and military personnel. Other professionals using the device may include maintenance workers, such as building inspectors, plumbers, electricians, or other professionals, such as delivery personnel, security guards, ushers, etc.
Personal uses may include, but are not limited to: senior citizens (for example those using a walker or cane), handicapped individuals (for example an arm amputee), campers or other outdoorsmen, as well as homeowners. Other uses of this embodiment are ideal in poorly lit environments where safety is an issue. Other uses may include walking while carrying a box or a bag of groceries, as this configuration affords the user a well-lit pathway, or performing home repairs in a low-light environment.
Various illuminating devices have been proposed in the prior art. Many of these are ornamental in nature as in U.S. Pat. Des. 300,260 by Segeren (Mar. 14, 1989), or bulky as in wrist-mounted power sources as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,458 by Smyly, Jr. (Sep. 5, 1995), or are of a glove type, which are inconvenient and cumbersome as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,397 by Raz et al. (May 17, 2005.)
Even as early as the 1900s a few inventors have come up with finger-mounted electric lamps but they are very bulky in nature as in U.S. Pat. No. 674,770 by Hull (May 21, 1901) and U.S. Pat. No. 914,975 by Radley (Mar. 9, 1909).
One prior art describes a utilitarian-type ring with an integrated lamp socket and bulb and arcuate batteries that were contained within the circumference of the ring as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,629 by Simms (Mar. 15, 1977). The Simms invention does not allow for forward illumination, thus limiting the field of vision.
Another prior art describes a reading light ring with an LED as the source of illumination on the palm side of the hand and also is operated by means of a thumb-operated switch as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,703,937 B2 by Shirey (Apr. 27, 2010). The Shirey device does not allow for forward illumination, thus limiting the field of vision.